Captain Tana Umaga hopes the All Blacks can repeat their successful three-week rugby crash course of late last year to have them peaking for the test series against the Lions.
The 45-6 defeat of France in Paris in their last test was one of the All Blacks' premier performances in
recent history, a game they targeted to produce their best on the season-ending tour to Europe six months ago.
Umaga said it was unrealistic to expect his team to click straight back together at that standard.
However, he said they may yet be able to reach a similar peak in time for the first test on June 25, three weeks after they first gathered as a squad. That is the same length of time they were in Europe before the French test.
"We were a new bunch of the guys on that tour and what did it take us, three games?" Umaga said. "Who's to say (this time) it could be sooner, it could be longer.
"It's only a couple of days and we've had to fit in a lot of content in that time but it's coming together slowly."
After Friday's test against Fiji at North Harbour Stadium, the newly-named squad of 26 will have two weeks of pure training before the first Lions showdown in Christchurch.
All Blacks coach Graham Henry said he was "reasonably relaxed" about the preparation time, saying it compared favourably with his first season as coach last year. Before the season-opening test against England, assistant coaches Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith had only just arrived back in New Zealand and there was only one week for the players together.
Several All Blacks prospects have been with the New Zealand Maori team while two others, winger Joe Rokocoko and flanker Jerome Kaino, are in Europe with the New Zealand sevens team.
"These guys who have been sent to the sevens, the door hasn't been closed on them. They see it as a lifeline," Umaga said.
- NZPA
